Susiya: “In a place where there is no happiness, you must not be happy”

Place:

A-Tuwani

South Hebron Hills

Susiya

Tags:

Flying Checkpoints

Jewish settler-colonists injure Palestinian shepherds’ grazing sheep and goats

Settlers, Settlements

Swords of Iron War

Observers:

Muhammed and Ariella (Photos and Reporting) Translation: Bracha Ben-Avraham

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Feb-8-2024

Morning

Meitar Checkpoint was empty and Route 60 was empty as well. Only Israeli cars were on road.

The village of Zanuta that was abandoned by its Palestinian residents due to harassment by the settlers and endless attacks, has been “conquered” by the settlers. They have taken possession of the place, hung Israeli flags and painted the Star of David on the sign to Zanuta. The entire place is surrounded by a fence so that, heaven forbid, the residents attempt to return.

South Mount Hebron: A sign with the Star of David on the sign to Zanuta

Photo:

Ariela Slonim

We saw Palestinian sheep on the green hills along the road – Palestinian sheep that have not yet been evicted from their land. The fields are covered in yellow wild mustard because the Palestinians have not been allowed to plow and plant their fields.

We arrived at the home of Azzam in Susiya. We brought him two packages of groceries from the Rabbis Organization for him to distribute among the besieged shepherding communities The packages are illustrated to make perhaps things a little easier.

Susyia: illustrated grocery package from Rabbis Organization to the besieged shepherd communities

Photo:

Ariela Slonim

Susiya: Illustrated supplies package from Rabbis Organization to the besieged shepherd communities

Photo:

Ariela Slonim

Susiya: Muhammad carries the package on his shoulders

Photo:

Ariela Slonim

Mohammad had to carry the packages on his shoulders because Azzam’s house cannot be reached by car.

Of course Wadha and Azzam hosted us as always.

Susiya: Visiting with Wadha and Azzam

Photo:

Ariela Slonim

Azzam told us that the settlers harass them. Each day they come dressed as soldiers and conduct training exercises and shout “Allah hu Akhbar!” (Allah is great). A few weeks ago Azzam talked about the light of a candle flickering in the darkness in hopes of peace. Now he quotes from the Koran: “In a place where there is no happiness, you must not be happy.”

The schools are not open because the parents cannot bring their children to school because of the roadblocks, and the teachers are unable to get there either.

When we left se saw a settler grazing his herd on Palestinian land.

South Mount Hebron: A settler and his herd on Palestinian land

Photo:

Ariela Slonim

At the entrance to route 317 Muhammed’s sharp eyes noticed that more trailer homes had been added to the illegal outpost at the top of the hill

We continued on the way to A-Tuwani. Route 317 was completely empty. At Shani Livne Junction two civilian ATVs driven by masked drivers wearing IDF uniforms appeared going in the direction of Samu.

On our way back to Route 60 Muhammad saw Ahmed Abu Sharah from Khirbet ar Rahwa near Tene, standing. We gave him one of the packages from the Rabbis Organization which he received gratefully.

Location Description

Yata / Southern Hebron hills

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Yatta is a city located in the South Hebron Hills region. It is located in the border zone between the fertile area of Hebron and its surroundings and the desert of the Hebron Hills. Yatta has about 64,000 inhabitants. The surrounding villages are called Masafar Yatta (Yatta's daughter villages). Their inhabitants subsist on livestock and agriculture. Agriculture is possible only in small plots, especially near streams. Most of the area consists of rocky terraces.

Since the beginning of the 1980s, a number of settlements have been established on the agricultural land cultivated by the Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills region: Carmel, Maon, Susia, Masadot Yehuda, Othniel, and more. Since the settlements were established and Palestinians cultivation areas have been reduced; the residents of the South Hebron Hills have been suffering from harassment by the settlers. Attempts to evict and demolish houses have continued, along with the withholding of water and electricity. The military and police usually refrain from intervening in violent incidents between settlers and Palestinians do not enforce the law when it comes to the investigation of extensive violent Jewish settlers. The harassment in the South Hebron Hills includes attacking and attempting to burn residential tents, harassing dogs, harming herds, and preventing access to pastures.

There are several checkpoints in the South Hebron Hills, on Routes 317 and 60. In most of them, no military presence is apparent, but rather an array of pillboxes monitor the villages. Road blocks are frequently set up according to the settlers and the army's needs. These are located at the Zif Junction, the Dura-al Fawwar crossing, and the Sheep Junction at the southern entrance to Hebron.

Updated April 2022

א-תוואני - מתנדבים מקבוצת הכפרים כשמשטרה וחיילים הגיעו

Apr-24-2024

Muhammad D.

At-Tuwani – volunteers from the Villages Group confronting the police and army

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Susiya

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The Palestinian area lies between the settlement of Susya and a military base.
The residents began to settle in areas outside the villages in the 1830s and lived in caves, tents and sukkot. To this day they maintain a traditional lifestyle and their livelihood is based on agriculture and herding. Until the 1948 war, the farmers cultivated areas that extended to the Arad area. As a result of the war, a significant portion of their land left on the Israeli side was lost. After the 1967 war and the Israeli occupation, military camps were established in the area, fire zones and nature reserves were declared, and the land area was further reduced.

The Jewish settlement in Susya began in 1979. Since then, there has been a stubborn struggle to remove the remains of Palestinian residents who refuse to leave their place of birth and move to nearby town Yatta. With the development of a tourist site in Khirbet Susya in the late 1980s (an ancient synagogue), dozens of families living in caves in its vicinity were deported. In the second half of the 1990s, a new form of settlement developed in the area - shepherds' farms of individual settlers. This phenomenon increased the tension between the settlers and the original, Palestinian residents, and led to repeated harassment of the residents of the farms towards the Palestinians. At the same time, demolition of buildings and crop destruction by security forces continued, as well as water and electricity prevention. In the Palestinian Susya, as in a large part of the villages of the southern Hebron Mountains, there is no running water, but the water pipe that supplies water to the Susya Jewish settlement passes through it. Palestinians have to buy expensive water that comes in tankers. Solar electricity is provided by a collector system, installed with donation funds. But the frequent demolitions in the villages do not spare water cisterns or the solar panels and power poles designed to transfer solar electricity between the villages.

Updated April 2021, Anat T.

At-Tuwani

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The locals came to At-Tuwani during the 20th century from the village of Yatta. They settled in abandoned ruins, utilizing the arable land, pastures for grazing sheep and the abundance of natural caves for habitation. The residents who settled in the caves came from families who could not purchase land for houses in the mother villages, as well as shepherds who did not have enough land to graze. They were joined by clan members who quarreled with other families in the mother locality.
Some of the residents today live in concrete buildings built above the caves. In the area of the village are several water cisterns and an ancient water well called Ein at-Tuwani. Local residents are forced to buy water in containers and transport them through many road blocks to the village. With the help of international organizations, an electrical system was installed in the village. In the late 90s of the 20th century, an elementary school was established in the serving several small villages in the area.
In 2004, MachsomWatch began visiting and reporting from the Khirbet Tuwani cave village, which suffers badly from the settlers of nearby outposts, and especially from the extremist Ma'on outpost. . The settlers contaminate cisterns, poison the flocks and uproot trees.

Particularly notable is the harassment of children from the surrounding villages on their way to school in at-Tuwani, so much so that military escort of children is required to separate them from the attackers (this was arranged following an initiative of the organization's members). In the past year, the escort has been without the vital presence of overseas volunteers.

Near at-Tuwani there are several families who have returned to the caves due to the incessant demolitions of the civil administration info-icon (as there is a total construction ban in all of area C). Destroyed are not only residential and agricultural buildings, but also water pipes, machinery. Even water cisterns are clogged up. at-Tuwani residents have created an association for non-violent demolition protests, but in the past year the army’s harsh harassment and settler violence have intensified and escalated. The incident of the small generator confiscation, which left a young man paralyzed, is one of many examples - any legitimate protection of property rights leads to violence and even shootings by the army and the civil administration.

Updated April 2022

Apr-24-2024

Muhammad D.

At-Tuwani – volunteers from the Villages Group confronting the police and army

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